Bayshore Bike Lanes Go Green

Bicyclists commuting to work or riding for exercise or pleasure are seeing green along Bayshore Drive, in East Naples. The bike lanes on the 1.4-mile stretch from U.S. 41 East to Thomasson Drive are painted green, thanks to a recent improvement project funded by the Bayshore Beautification Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU). MSTU Project Manager David Buchheit says the Bayshore community is joining other cities in providing colorful pavement for bike lanes to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians. Bayshore Drive is the sole location in Florida, and one of the few nationwide, to have green lanes. MSTU paid for the $90,000 project with local taxes set aside for beautification improvements, which include bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

“What is great about this project is that the neighborhood itself paid for it,” says Buchheit, adding that the green-colored lanes will improve cyclists’ visibility for motorists.

Stacy Revay, chairperson of the Collier County Smart Growth Coalition, is enthusiastic about the bike lane project, noting that it supports safe and healthy, self-propelled transportation and helps encourage biking to decrease vehicle miles traveled. “The Bayshore area showcases many of the principles we would like to see in place throughout Collier County,” she advises.